The penetration rate is only single digits. What are the hurdles that the dishwasher has to pass into the family?

　　Sales lead the industry for years, but the household penetration rate is only single digits

　　What hurdles have to be taken when the dishwasher enters the family

　　Dishwashers at China Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics Expo, Shanghai, March 24, 2021

　　In recent years, the dishwasher industry has entered a period of rapid development in the Chinese market. According to statistics from AVC, the retail sales of my country’s dishwasher market will reach 1.039 million units in the first seven months of 2021. my country's dishwasher market is expected to exceed the scale of 10 billion yuan for the first time.

A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily saw in some home appliance stores in Beijing. In addition to traditional kitchen appliance brands such as Boss, Fangtai, and Vantage, integrated major appliance brands such as Haier, Casarte, Midea, and Valin have also launched dishwasher products.

In addition, Internet brands such as Xiaomi have also entered this market to grab the cake.

　　In sharp contrast, statistics show that the current penetration rate of household dishwashers in my country is only single digits, which is far from the 60% to 70% penetration rate in some developed countries and regions.

A reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily learned that consumers still have misunderstandings about dishwashers that “was water, electricity, and unclean”. The lack of space in the kitchen design has become the main factor affecting the entry of dishwashers into Chinese households. resistance.

　　Dishwasher retail is growing rapidly

　　Family penetration rate is very low

　　A reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily learned that, in the context of the overall shrinking of the domestic home appliance market in recent years, my country's dishwasher industry has consistently ranked first in the growth rate of the home appliance industry for many years, becoming the fastest-growing emerging category.

Take the statistics in the first half of 2019 as an example. At that time, among the retail sales of 17 major categories in the domestic home appliance industry, only dishwashers maintained double-digit growth, becoming a rare bright spot in the home appliance industry.

In the first half of last year, the retail volume of my country's dishwasher market continued to achieve a growth of 32.7%. In particular, the retail volume of the online market increased by 61.4% year-on-year, significantly ahead of other home appliances categories.

Industry insiders said that in recent years, dishwashers in the Chinese market have been undergoing a process from recognition to acceptance by more and more consumers. This new product that has rarely appeared in Chinese kitchens before is changing from a small number of people pursuing the quality of life. Families spread to more family kitchens.

　　However, from the perspective of my country's current dishwasher penetration rate, it is still in the early stages of development.

Statistics show that the current penetration rate of household dishwashers in my country is only single digits, which is far from the penetration rate of 60% to 70% in some developed countries and regions.

In this regard, Wang Lei, secretary general of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, believes that the main reason why dishwashers were difficult to enter Chinese kitchens in the early years was the level of purchasing power. At present, it is more life concepts that affect the popularity of dishwashers, especially many consumers. Dishwashers also have the misunderstanding of "was water, electricity, and not clean".

In addition, the small size of kitchens in Chinese families and the lack of a place for dishwashers in structural design also affects the popularity of dishwashers in the Chinese market.

But she believes that the penetration rate, which is very different from that of foreign markets, is also showing the huge development potential of my country's dishwasher industry.

　　A reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily also learned in field interviews that many Chinese consumers still have the impression of “wasting water, electricity, and not being clean” for dishwashers. More than half of the people are deeply aware of the water consumption of dishwashers. .

Secondly, there are also many people who think that dishwashers are not suitable for Chinese cooking habits, and worry that it is difficult to clean tableware for high-oil cooking.

In addition, the home kitchen does not reserve a place for a dishwasher, and the fear that the dishwasher is not suitable for Chinese-style dishwashing are also reasons why many consumers are reluctant to buy a dishwasher.

　　Dishwasher and manual hand washing compared

　　Which way is more water consuming

　　Does the dishwasher consume water?

Data from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association shows that with the development of the global dishwasher industry, from 1975 to 2017, the single water consumption of the dishwasher industry has risen from 60 to 6 liters, and the electricity consumption has dropped from 2.8 kilowatts to 0.67. Kilowatts and noise dropped from 65 decibels to 38 decibels.

"That is to say, when Chinese consumers started to come into contact with dishwashers, it was already a very mature time for the technology in this industry." Some insiders said that for an average family of three or four people, a single 6 liters of water is far lower. Water consumption for manual dishwashing.

　　In this regard, the China Consumers Association issued a comparative test report for household dishwashers two years ago, which showed that the amount of water consumed by dishwashers was significantly less than that of hand washing. The main reason was that the dishwasher was cycled after the water entered. The tableware is cleaned in a way that filters the washing sewage through the filter in the dishwasher and collects pollutants; while hand washing often uses running water to clean, resulting in more water waste.

According to statistics, if a dishwasher is used, approximately 30 liters of water can be saved for one dishwashing.

　　Space needs to be reserved for kitchen design

　　Small size and multi-function are the development trend

　　A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily learned in an interview that people’s awareness of dishwashers has indeed increased in recent years. Among them, young people who arrange new homes have the highest acceptance of dishwashers, and they often use them when planning kitchens. Reserve the location of the dishwasher and the water connection.

In addition, consumers who choose complete kitchen appliances currently have the highest acceptance of dishwashers, and dishwashers are currently a must-chosen item in integrated kitchens.

From the sales data of dishwasher companies, the proportion of dishwashers sold through such integrated kitchens and integrated kitchens is the highest.

　　At the same time, many non-new home families also have a strong willingness to buy dishwashers, but it is difficult to sell because the existing kitchens do not reserve a place for dishwashers.

It is understood that in addition to the electricity, the dishwasher must be connected to the upper and lower water during use, which means that the dishwasher must reserve a fixed position in the kitchen, and it cannot be moved, and it cannot be like other kitchens. Put away the same as small household appliances after use.

This is really difficult for the originally small Chinese family kitchens, especially the kitchens of old-fashioned buildings.

Therefore, many consumers who want to try dishwashers finally give up because there is no place to put them.

In this regard, industry insiders also frankly said that the lack of reserved space in the kitchen design has become a big obstacle to the entry of dishwashers into Chinese households.

　　Therefore, domestic dishwasher manufacturers are also trying their best to solve this problem. One of the important solutions is to combine the functions of the dishwasher with the existing kitchen equipment and ensure that the dishes are washed under the condition of limited kitchen area. The machine develops to multi-function under the condition of constant volume.

In recent years, the hot-selling sink-type dishwashers on the market are actually equivalent to aiming at the location of the sink in the home kitchen and replacing it with the sink-type dishwasher.

In addition, the dishwasher combined with the function of the disinfection cabinet can "preempt" the position of the disinfection cabinet in the kitchen.

Through this alternative method, dishwashers can gradually find a place in Chinese kitchens.

This exploration has also promoted my country's dishwasher industry to embark on a path towards integrated development.

At the same time, in terms of product design, companies try to reduce the volume of the dishwasher as much as possible while increasing the volume, by reducing the floor area to adapt to the characteristics of Chinese kitchens.

　　In addition, in view of the small space of Chinese kitchens, many companies have introduced desktop dishwashers in recent years to solve the trouble of remodeling existing cabinets.

According to industry insiders, this is actually quite similar to the Japanese market. These dishwashers designed for consumer pain points have effectively stimulated demand.

　　Text/Reporter Zhang Qin Coordinator/Yu Meiying